Why Wait Around? Here’s How to Create Your Own Business Opportunities
Ever noticed how some people just seem to be in the right place at the right time?
You might be sitting there, wishing you had some of that luck.
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how you can become one of those popular kids who are getting invitations, landing speaking gigs, and launching successful partnerships, today’s your lucky day to turn the page: We’re going to start creating your own opportunities!
Overcoming Fear And Taking Action as a Solopreneur
You might be thinking “easier said than done” when it comes to the idea of just…doing the thing you’ve long wished for.
And you're not totally wrong of course. If it was easy and risk-free, surely everyone would be living their dream lives. It does take courage, initiative, and determination. But just for today, I want to encourage you to take your dream for a bit of a spin.
Want to be invited to speak at a big event? Let’s examine if you could pitch yourself instead.
Want to double the price of your course? Just imagine you did it. What could happen?
One of the most inspiring journaling exercises I ever did came from Tim Ferriss’s book “The 4-Hour Work Week”. At the time, I was caught in the decision of returning to a career that had lost its shine, or launching my own business. I asked myself two questions:
A year from now, what’s the best that could happen if you take option A? What about option B?
And what is the worst that could happen?
After thinking it through, I realised the very worst case scenario was actually not so bad: it was things staying as they were. Credit where it’s due to Tim Ferriss and his book, because this was the internal permission I needed to take a risk and make some changes.
If you’re feeling eager to play with creating your own luck today (some people call it practical manifesting), I’ve got five strategies to help you seize the day and get ahead with your next online teaching and coaching projects.
Find a Need and Fill It
Think about what frustrates or intrigues you. Is there something lacking in the online teaching space that makes you wonder “why hasn't anyone addressed this yet?”
Have you observed a trend that really makes you wish things were different?
That's your cue. If there's a gap that needs filling, why not be the one to fill it? You have unique insights and experiences that can bring fresh perspectives to existing problems.
A few years ago, I regularly visited conferences about language learning and started to notice that most of the line-ups and media interviews featured a recurring line-up of all-male “polyglot experts”. All very valid people, but it did get frustrating to see more and more one-token-woman panels. And I was not the only one: over a chat with my friends Shannon and Lindsay, the idea of a different kind of event came up. We decided to go for it and started Women in Language, a super successful online conference about language learning.
It was not my first online conference, but certainly the first I partly created and the first one ever to feature an all-female line-up of speakers. Let’s face it, no one else was going to write me an invitation to start the conference of my dreams. The need was there, and I’m proud to say we did a great job filling it.
My favourite Barack Obama quote (and the only one I know) is the relentlessly positive: “There’s got to be an opportunity here somewhere.”
If someone who’s just walked into a big economic meltdown can bring that perspective to their working day, surely we can do it too!
Grow a Strong Community Around Your Work and Values
We all thrive in communities, and there is so much inspiration to be found once you start coming together with like-minded people. Got a topic that you would like to explore in more detail? A wish for better discussions about something? Then it’s time to raise your voice and start some conversations.
Whether you start a podcast with interviews, run a discussion panel, or invite new voices to feature on your blog, you’ll soon find that people become interested in what you have to say.
Community is the positive answer to many of your fears around the threat of competition or the fear that there is no space for you in the market. And let’s not forget the point of inclusivity: creating community will offer you the opportunity to hear from many different voices, so you can find inspiration and connection with people whose values you share.
Want more examples of inspiring community-focused projects? Check out the Neurodiverse Entrepreneur Summit (affiliate link), Black Girls Learn Languages, or Queer Business Club.
Look Out for a Business Project Partner
Feeling apprehensive about a big project? If the nerves are running high and you can’t quite imagine yourself making it happen, consider looking around for a potential business partner.
The first step is to share your idea with someone else, no strings attached. If you’re lucky enough to have a business coach (one like yours truly 😊) or you’re in a group programme, ask for gentle feedback or get together to bounce ideas around with others. If you find yourself on the same wavelength with someone, build up collaboration slowly, maybe with regular conversations or joint content.
It takes trust, accountability, and focus to make a great thing happen together, but in my experience it’s always worthwhile.
How I Found My First Retreat Business Partner
For years, I had this exciting vision of running language learning retreats, but I never managed to make it happen all by myself. But during our first Women in Language event, I found the spark of inspiration that I needed.
Hanging out with retreat attendees in Berlin
After hearing an inspiring talk about travel and language by Thérèse Laflèche, I reached out to her for a chat…and quickly learnt that she had been looking for a language expert for her next retreat in Germany! We got together that same year and kicked off the first ever retreat in Munich. The collaboration was a fantastic training ground for me, and gave me everything I needed to build my own retreat projects, as well as collaborating with Thérèse for several years.
Want more information and action steps for a positive approach to collaborating? Then I recommend you check out my Rising Tide training, which has all the mindset shifts and practical approaches you need to foster collaboration.
Just Assume You Can
Sometimes, we are our own biggest roadblocks. We wait for permission, invitation or validation before stepping forward. Here's a radical idea:
What if you just assumed that you can?
The simple practical step to take for “assume you can” is to pretend someone has already invited you to create the thing you want to create. If you’re into journaling, you could even play with writing yourself a letter from a client who thanks you for creating exactly what they needed.
Remember: Just because a great idea isn’t out in the world yet, doesn’t mean that no one is waiting. And just because someone else has already done the thing you want to do as well, doesn’t mean that no one wants a new take on it.
Go from Business Goliath to Tiny Task Titan
If the thought of creating something new sends waves of anxiety washing over you, let’s create some safety by breaking it down into teeny tiny experiments.
If you wanted to start a knitting group for entrepreneurs 🧶, you could start tiny by posting a single image on Instagram. If that felt good and the comments come in, try it again same time next week!
After you have collected feedback, maybe organise a single knitting meet-up. It doesn’t have to become the next big membership…but daydreaming about what could become is very very welcome.
And if that list still feels like a heavy pressure that must add up to perfection, put even that to one side. The simplest step can be a tiny one that just makes a difference for today, and once you have found 2 or 3 little steps that you’re comfortable with, you can start creating a routine based on it.
Creating Opportunities One Small Step at a Time
Creating opportunities isn't about waiting for the perfect moment or the golden envelope with an invitation. It’s about taking a small risk, opening up your mind to share new ideas, and creating space for everyone to benefit.
And here’s the thing: Sometimes, your opportunity won’t turn into a massive success. Sometimes, you organise a meet-up and end up sipping coffee on your own because everyone cancelled. Sometimes it rains on your BBQ day.
But the amazing thing is…it’s always worth it anyway! When we stop looking at every day in business as a do-or-die success mission and start opening ourselves up sustainable growth and long-term benefits, everything we try can become a lucky moment. So all things considered, I think it’s time to stop waiting and start acting.
Why not you?
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